Try reading with duoBooks
duoBooks is free to download. Open a book, tap the words you do not know, and learn the language as you read — on your phone, tablet, or e-ink reader.
duoBooks, LingQ, and Readlang all share the same good idea: you learn a language by reading and tapping words to look them up, then saving them to study later. They are all worth a look. duoBooks stands out as a native phone, tablet, and e-ink reading app with context-aware translation and a built-in library. Here is an honest comparison.
| duoBooks | LingQ | Readlang | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Native iPhone, iPad & Android app, plus automatic e-ink mode | Web and mobile apps | Mainly web, with a browser extension |
| Read & translate | Tap a word or sentence; context-aware translation (idioms, phrasal verbs) | Click words to look up and save | Click words for translation |
| Content | 3000+ built-in library, plus import EPUB & FB2 | Import your own content, plus a community library | Import your own texts and web pages |
| Vocabulary | Saved words become spaced-repetition flashcards | Saved words (LingQs) with review | Saved words become flashcards |
| Audio | Text-to-speech for any word or sentence, 47 languages | Audio for many lessons | Browser-based text-to-speech |
| E-ink readers | Automatic e-ink mode on Android e-readers | Primarily phone, tablet & web | Primarily web |
Feature summaries are general and may change — check each product’s own site for current details.
Both are well-loved by readers learning a language. LingQ has a large library of lessons with audio and a strong community, and it tracks the words you know across everything you read. Readlang makes it easy to read any web page or text in your browser, click words for a quick translation, and turn them into flashcards. If you mostly read on a computer, or you want LingQ’s known-words tracking and community content, they are excellent choices. duoBooks takes a slightly different shape.
duoBooks is built first as a polished reading app for your phone, tablet, and e-ink reader. Three things set it apart. First, the translation is context-aware: tap a word and it reads the sentence around it, so the meaning fits and idioms and phrasal verbs come out right; tap a whole sentence and it keeps the tone and resolves the pronouns. Second, it comes with a built-in library of more than 3000 books and short stories, including stories for beginners, and it reads your own EPUB and FB2 files too. Third, on Android-based e-ink readers like BOOX and PocketBook, duoBooks turns on a high-contrast e-ink mode by itself — so you can learn a language on the calm screen many readers prefer. Saved words become spaced-repetition flashcards, and you can hear anything read aloud in 47 languages.
If you read mostly on a desktop browser, or you want LingQ’s known-words tracking and community library, those tools are a great fit. If you want a polished reading app for your phone, tablet, or e-ink reader — with context-aware translation and a library you can start tonight — try duoBooks. See duoBooks on e-ink readers, or learn what duoBooks is.
duoBooks is free to download. Open a book, tap the words you do not know, and learn the language as you read — on your phone, tablet, or e-ink reader.